Quick Launch

Construction
season is wrapping up, but there are still orange barrels to watch for

COLUMBUS
(Monday, November 21, 2016) – Thanksgiving
is the holiday with the most travelers on the road each year and this year will
be no exception. AAA is predicting 2 million Ohioans will be traveling at least
50 miles from home for the holiday, a 2.1 percent increase over last year and
the highest number since 2005. Nationally, 48.7 million Americans will travel
for Thanksgiving.

In Ohio, nine out of every ten
travelers will drive to their destination. With more cars on the road during the Thanksgiving
Holiday weekend, motorists can ease frustration by planning ahead, especially
when driving through construction zones. ODOT makes every effort possible to
reduce the number and size of work zones during top travel holidays. Already
this year, there have been more than 5,000 crashes in Ohio work zones resulting
in 26 deaths and 150 serious injuries. The top causes of these crashes are
drivers following too closely and speed.

The
Ohio State Highway Patrol also reminds motorists to do their part in keeping
roadways safe this Thanksgiving by buckling up. Safety belts save lives and
reduce injury in crashes. From 2012-2014, more than half of people killed on
Ohio’s roadways were not wearing a safety belt.

Last year, nine people were killed
and 118 seriously hurt in 4,007 crashes during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
Alcohol was a factor in 226 crashes and seat belts were not used in 282
crashes.

Travelers
are encouraged to download Ohio’s official traffic app, OHGO, before they head out the door. The app,
which is available for Apple and Android
devices, allows users to view real-time traffic speeds, more than 600 live
traffic cameras, construction zone information, and traffic alerts. You can
even create a customized route and get alerts pushed directly to your phone.

Below
are some of the state’s highway projects that could impact your travel:

MAJOR ROAD/BRIDGE/INTERCHANGE OPENINGS IN TIME FOR
THANKSGIVING:

NORTHWESTERN OHIOInterstate 75, Wood County

Three lanes are now open in both directions on the
I-75 widening project from Perrysburg to SR 18.

Interstate
75, Lucas County

The I-75 reroute in north Toledo is no longer in
effect. Northbound I-75 traffic is now placed on the new I-75
bridges.

SOUTHERN OHIOIronton-Russell Bridge, Lawrence
County

The
new Ironton-Russell Bridge, located between Second and Jefferson streets in
Ironton, Ohio, and the U.S. Route 23/KY-244 Viaduct at Russell, Ky., will be
open to traffic Wednesday, November 23. This is the completion of a multi-year
project to build a new Ohio River crossing and to replace and relocate the
existing downtown structure.

The
Cherry Valley Interchange will open at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, November 22. The
$31.6 million project will add a partial cloverleaf interchange and overpass about
one-quarter of a mile east of the intersection of the SR 16 and Cherry Valley
Rd. The new interchange will eliminate the traffic light at Cherry Valley Rd.
that brings traffic to a sudden stop after 23 miles traveling on a
limited-access, divided highway from Interstate 270 in Columbus.

Carroll Interchange, Fairfield
County

The
Carroll Interchange project is now open. The interchange eliminates the
intersection at Winchester Rd. and U.S. Route 33, replacing it with a new
interchange with ramps and connector roads. The project includes three new
signaled intersections, four new bridge structures, new lighting and retaining
walls.

ROAD CONSTRUCTION AFFECTING THANKSGIVING TRAVELERS:

SOUTHERN OHIOState Route 104, Pike County

SR
104 is closed between State Route 552 and Township Road 420 (Boswell Run Rd.)
as part of the Lake White Dam rehabilitation and bridge replacement project. In
addition, State Route 551 is closed between its junction with SR 104 and County
Road (Bricker Road), near the park office. Through traffic is being detoured by
way of U.S. 23 and S.R. 32, and local traffic to the Lake White region is being
detoured via S.R. 552 and S.R. 220. Roadway construction is anticipated to be
completed by early spring 2017, and the lake is expected to be restored for the
fishing and boating season in 2017.http://ohgo.com/alert?mId=96e9b36a1bd34fa2864a214cdf90af24

As
part of the Southern Ohio Veterans Memorial Highway project, U.S. Route 23 is
reduced to one, 12-foot lane in both directions between State Route 728 and
County Road 55 (Fairground Rd.) for bridge construction and to accommodate
trucks crossing the highway, and U.S. Route 52 is reduced to one, 11-foot lane
in both directions between the State Route 140 and the County Road 550/Wheelersburg
exits for MSE wall andbridge
construction. A reduced speed limit is also in effect at both locations.http://ohgo.com/alert?mId=51dc97d5d7b7476ca44666fa7dd94e23CENTRAL OHIOInterstate
270/State Route 315/U.S. Route 23, Franklin County (North Side)

The
speed limit is reduced to 55 mph on I-270 between U.S. 23 and SR 315 as major
construction to build new ramps and bridges is ongoing. Motorists should be
aware of new ramp configurations:

​Drivers coming
from U.S. 23 south to I-270 west will be on the ramp for a mile and pass over
SR 315 before using the temporary ramp to merge onto I-270 west.

I-270 west
traffic exiting at SR 315 will exit sooner – merge into the right lane for SR
315 north, stay in left lane on the ramp for SR 315 south.

Finally, traffic
coming from SR 315 north to I-270 should stay in the left lane on the ramp.
Drivers will go a mile on the ramp and travel under U.S. 23 before merging onto
I-270 east.

The
ramp from U.S. 33 west to I-270 south closed permanently in August as part of
the I-270/U.S. Route33 interCHANGE reconstruction project. Traffic will be
detoured until the future ramp is completed by the end of 2016. The detour is
U.S. 33 west to I-270 north to Sawmill Road to I-270 south.

Construction along U.S. 22, SR 7, and University Blvd. Ramps and
new intersections will connect SR 7 south of the current University Blvd. intersection
as well as a new intersection along University Blvd. The ramps leading onto the
Veterans Memorial Bridge from University Blvd. and from U.S. 22 to Seventh St.
and University Blvd. will be reconfigured as well. Traffic is maintained.

I-75
between County Road 25A in Piqua and U.S. Route 36 will have 24 hour lane width
restrictions. Lanes are 12 feet in this area. Drivers should stay alert
as there is construction taking place. Two lanes will remain open in each
direction.

Interstate
76/State Route 94, Medina CountyI-76, at its
interchange with SR 94, currently has the inside and outside shoulders closed.
SR 94 (High St.) in the city of Wadsworth has intermittent lane closures
possible along the project corridor.

The following lane restriction and
ramp closures are currently in place through late November:

I-76 between Grant St. and Inman St. is reduced to two
lanes in each direction.

I-76 eastbound entrance ramp from Grant St. is CLOSED.
Detour is posted.

The ramp from Main St. to I-76 eastbound is CLOSED.
Detour is posted.

The ramp from I-77 northbound to I-76 westbound is CLOSED.
Detour is posted.

The ramp from SR 8 southbound to I-77 northbound/I-76
westbound is CLOSED. Detour is posted.

The ramp from I-76 eastbound to I-77 southbound is CLOSED.
Detour is posted.

This work is part of a $15.6
million project to remove three bridge on I-76/I-77 over Johnston St. The
project also includes the relocation of Johnston St. between Spicer St. and
Brown St. The entire project is scheduled to be completed by late July 2017.

U.S.
Route 6/State Route 2 (West Shoreway) Conversion, Lakefront West, ClevelandU.S. 6/SR 2 is restricted to two lanes in each direction between Lake Ave. and the Main Ave. Bridge. SR 2 eastbound entrance and exit ramps at West 45th St. is closed through mid-December for pavement replacement operations. The Lake Ave. entrance ramp to the eastbound
Shoreway is closed through late
November as the bridge over the Lake Ave. eastbound entrance ramp is
replaced. Get more details at www.LakefrontWest.transportation.ohio.gov and select
“Traffic Impacts” for more information.

Work
on to widen I-75 to three lanes in both directions from State Route 18 to
Findlay, Ohio. 11-foot lane width restrictions and reduced speed
limits are in place in the work zone. Lane restrictions will resume on
I-75 from Perrysburg to Findlay following the holiday. http://www.ohgo.com/alert?mId=59f068bf3d1c4e05ad058e19a14a1c1c

SOUTHEASTERN OHIO

State Route 56, Vinton County

One
lane of SR 56 is closed between the Hocking County line and State Route 93 for
a culvert replacement project. Traffic is being maintained by a temporary
traffic signal.

I-70
between Airport Access Rd. and State Route 48 is under construction. Two lanes
of traffic will remain open to motorists in each direction. Motorist should
remain alert as there is a lot of work being done in this area.